BAD THINGS HAPPEN is an experimental book length erasure poem. An erasure is a “found” poem in which the poet works with text from an original work to create something new. An erasure is often created in response to, or in conversation with, the original source text. Through purposeful decision-making, the erasure poet will subvert, challenge, question, or build upon the meaning and themes in the source text. Unlike a blackout poem (which presents the original redacted text with the new poem as a visual art form), an erasure constructs the new work into lines/stanzas, thus creating something separate from the original source text.

BAD THINGS HAPPEN is a book-length collection of erasure poems constructed in response to the book, Lord, Where Are You When Bad Things Happen? by Kay Arthur. Arthur’s book is a daily Bible study examining questions about the role of God in difficult life events and was written to an audience mainly of Evangelical Christians.

While creating the works in BAD THINGS HAPPEN, the author sought to take the viewpoint of someone who doesn’t claim the infallibility of the Bible or even necessarily believe in any sort of god. The reality in life is that bad things happen. Truly bad things happen. Even evil things. To Believers and Unbelievers, alike.

The erasure poems in BAD THINGS HAPPEN don’t necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of the poet, but are offered as food for thought and as a means for looking at life through the lens of someone outside the purview of modern Evangelical Christian thought and practice.

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We’re pleased to announce the upcoming re-release of Nature Study by Months for Elementary Gradesby Arthur C. Boyden (1898). This title has been out-of-print for many years, and Simple Pleasures Press is bringing this work back into print—in both paperback and ebook formats.

The study should include the child’s environment, –the living animals and plants, the earth substances, and the forces that work upon them. The child’s observation should be the starting point. The teacher serves as the guide, suggesting material, stimulating and directing the observation and thought. This work should, above all else, lead into a strong love of Nature, an appreciation of the beauty, harmony, adaptation, and plan in the world about us; a sympathy for all living things, which manifests itself in thoughtful care and kind treatment.

Training

The aim is to cultivate in the child what may be termed the elementary equivalent of genuine scientific spirit, so that out of his native fondness for things about him shall come an enthusiastic, truth-seeking, reverent attitude toward Nature, with boldness to question her, patience to study her, and readiness to be taught by her. Plan in all possible ways for out-of-door observations, as this is the true field of Nature Study.

Expression

Cultivate the various forms of expression, such as drawing, coloring, oral and written language, and in cases that readily admit of it, construction. The work should be closely related to language, spelling, reading, and particularly literature. It should appeal to the imagination, and the artist and poet should be called upon to help the child interpret the beautiful. Some of the best selections should be committed to memory. Many applications of number, form, and color will suggest themselves.

As the child understands his own environment, he is prepared to appreciate geography as the study of the home of man. The thoughts of the life throbbing through the plant and animal, and the forms at work about us, all in perfect harmony, and for definite purposes, are suggestions of infinite law. Such thoughts are among the loftiest that can possess the human soul.

Nature Study by Months for Elementary Grades will be available for purchase in mid-2017 (perhaps earlier!). Stay tuned for more information as the release date approaches.

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The biggest thing that seems to keep me from pursuing healthy eating habits or exercise routines for any significant length of time is personal time constraints. Busy, busy, busy. Like many people today between work, school, and home demands, I don’t always have time to get home-cooked meals on the table regularly — much less take the time to actually prepare something nutritious and healthy. Continue reading →

Now that life, which we call education, receives only one kind of sustenance; it grows upon ideas. You may go through years of so-called ‘education’ without getting a single vital idea; and that is why many a well-fed body carries about a feeble, starved intelligence; and no society for the prevention of cruelty to children cries shame on the parents. Continue reading →

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You can use almost any leftover vegetable or meat in this recipe. If you have eggs, milk, rice, and cheese, you can practically clean out your fridge right into your quiche pan. I always add the cheese last when making this quiche. The cheese makes a beautiful mellow-brown crust on the top. I usually add a bit of chopped onion to my quiches for flavor, and broccoli makes an especially nice vegetable quiche.